The News
Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland is on track to gain seats in a third state legislature, falling narrowly short of a win Sunday in Brandenburg to come second, exit polls showed.
The populist party has surged in part because of its opposition to migration, an issue that has been thrust to the forefront of German politics in recent weeks: The national government this week instituted checks at all of its land borders, a move aimed at undermining support for the AfD.
The AfD notched its first statewide win earlier this month in Thuringia, and finished second in nearby Saxony. Still, the party is unlikely to lead any state government, because mainstream parties refuse to work with the AfD to form a coalition.
The results in Brandenburg — a state that borders Berlin — will come as a relief to the ruling center-left party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which is set to finish first and gain seats. But the election was also seen as a lose-lose for Scholz: Local party leaders distanced themselves from the chancellor and didn’t campaign with him, and the victory could put pressure on the social democrat ahead of federal elections in 2025.